eferreira

Dear all,
I am not in Canada yet, but I found a Web page with statistical information about the IT labour market in Canada:

http://www.shrc.ca/lmi/index.html

It says that the unemployment rate for IT professionals has been fluctuating between 6% and 2% in the last years. Additionally, it shows that this rate has been dropping in the last month below 4%.
I think this unemployment rate is not bad, therefore, why are so many people saying that the IT market in Canada is dead?
Is this statistical information an accurate view of the Canadian reality?

Thank you in advance for your replies.
Best wishes

Grah

Probably depends on the area of the Country. and the field you're in.

iaink

You have to make a distinction between canadian candidates with canadian experience seeking IT work, and newcomers without canadian experience. For a newcomer IT is a hard nut to crack because the good jobs are usually found through word of mouth and networking.

Overall unemployment may (or may not!) be 4%, but what is it for newcommers, and how many of those who have jobs consider what they are doing now to be below the level their experience would warrant?

CDNReturner

Some of us unemployed IT people aren't in the statistics. I don't know about others but I could see the end coming and prepared myself financially. I live in a small 1-bedroom flat but at least its paid for. I don't bother to claim benefits and just take anything to bring in a bit of money.

flashman

In order to be classed as unemployed people have to have been employed so the stats don't include first timers in the job market who have yet to get their first job.

iaink

Shouldnt it be classified as all those seeking a job in that field who are unable to get one?? For immigrants this is not their first job after all, just the first one in Canada.

squarepants

Yes......you are right it should, how do they come up with this stats anyway, when everything is done by who you know, and not advertised widely in the first place.

Like I said before, if anyone from the UK or anywhere else thinks they are just going to walk into a job in IT, they better think again, or have a back up plan, or ready to do factory work that requires 40hrs a week for $10/hr, and you pay tax on that, so you are left with about $320 cnd a week.

Just today, our manager was talking about filling a post for a lady going on mat leave, and she was asking us and others if we are interested, this job is not being advertised, and this goes on all the time, with people floating from posts to posts, sad really !